WAMPSVILLE - Without overriding the property tax cap, the Madison County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an amendment to next year's proposed budget that will fully restore funding for non-profits.

After three hours of public comment Tuesday on the 2013 budget, the board to action to fully restore the $398,669 deducted from non-profit funding. The amendment also gives back $200,000 to the highway department for bridge maintenance and repair.

To achieve that, the county will have to dip further into its fund balance, taking another $410,869, and increase its tax levy to the max without going over.

Already, $6 million of the fund balance was allocated to the 2013 budget to balance it. With the additional withdraw, the fund balance will dwindle from $10.4 million to less than $4 million, although County Treasurer Cindy Edick says it's not such a simple calculation. The fund balance constantly fluctuates and may not be as low by the end of next year if everything in the budget isn't spent. $6 million was taken from the fund balance in 2011 and $6.5 million was taken in 2010.

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Additionally, the property tax levy will increase by 2.98 percent, as much as allowed without override the tax cap. That will increase the property tax rate by about 27 cents over last year's $6.34 rate.

Still missing from the budget is funding for the Madison County Transit, which is set to go defunct in May, and money for other infrastructure replacement and maintenance and snow plowing overtime.

Despite the unanimous vote, supervisors weren't in complete agreement over whether or not to override the property tax cap or to fully restore funding to non-profits.

Hamilton Supervisor Eve Ann Shwartz, who originally proposed the override, called the tax cap an "artificial barrier" that county officials have "allowed the state" to limit them with.

Chairman John Becker disagreed, saying it wasn't artificial, but instead enacted to "demonize" local governments and allow the state to say local politicians are "pick pocketing" taxpayers. The general fund is the county's "rainy day fund," Becker said. "It's a rainy day."

Making the choice not to override the tax cap sends a "clear signal that we're willing to make the tough decisions and still advocate for taxpayers," Brookfield Supervisor John Salka said.

Disagreeing with the decision to restore so many cuts, Salka warned that next year the county will have to fight even more fiercely to survive and won't have much wiggle room to avoid the tough decisions that were delayed this year.

DeRuyter Supervisor Dan Degear was also in favor of using the fund balance, saying it's money the taxpayers have already "paid out." He appealed to the public in attendance at the meeting, asking that residents continue to demand mandate relief for the county at the state level.

Oneida Supervisors Scott Henderson and Jim Rafte were in favor of overriding the cap, given the public's unanimous support.

"We're going to do the right thing," Becker said. "We always do."

Still more savings could be realized next year as the county forms a task force to research the option of requiring elected officials and management employees to contribute to their health insurance premiums. Currently both groups pay nothing for health insurance.

Lebanon Supervisor Jim Goldstein proposed that elected officials and management employees contribute 10 percent of the cost, which would generate about $156,806 in savings.

An employee with an individual health care plan would be required to pay about about $781 a year, or $65 a month. A two-person plan would require a $113 a month contribution and family plan would cost $155 per month.

In a separate proposal, Becker submitted the idea of increasing elected officials' salaries from $12,558 to $20,000 and require every supervisor to fully pay for their health insurance, which they currently receive for free. The proposal would also nix the practice of providing free insurance to supervisors who maintain their elected position for at least a decade after they retire from the board. The change in insurance contributions would generate an estimated $110,000 per year.

In two public hearings lasting more than three hours Tuesday, more than 60 residents spoke out against proposed cuts to non-profits, the Madison County Transit and highway department. In stark contract to previous year's public hearings, people crowded into the board chambers and spilled into the hallway to speak on the budget.

Peter Sestito, manager of the Birnie Bus terminal in Hamilton, spoke out against the proposed cut to the Madison County Transit system that would force the service to end after next May. Mindful of the county's financial situation, Sestito said everyone has to "do more with less" but said the transit system has made marked progress in the last year to improve its efficiency and use. Admittedly ineffective in the past, Sestito said ridership is now up 50 percent since the beginning of the year when the system's routes and schedules were revamped.

"Listen to the people you represent and see how they benefit from this service," he told the board.

Karen Nowak, of Brookfield, said cuts to the highway department that will limit snow plowing will have a "serious impact" on residents. A lot of people work evening and night shifts and if they are unable to travel to and from work because the roads are too dangerous to plow, they may lose their jobs, she said. The county will ultimately feel that.

She was also in favor of requiring all county employees and officials to contribute to their health insurance costs.

"It's only far that we all do our part," she said.

Hamilton Supervisor Eve Ann Shwartz had spearheaded a campaign to override the property tax cap. Advocating for non-profit funding be fully restored, Shwartz said Tuesday that "we need to do the right thing by the taxpayers." If that means exceeding the tax cap, so be it, she said.

Peter Darby, Hamilton town councilman, expressed strong support of overriding the property tax levy, saying 2 percent is an arbitrary number. Residents have to decide what services they want and what they want to pay for.

"This is the line you're trying to draw," he told the board. "People understand they have to pay for what they get."

Lebanon Supervisor Jim Goldstein agreed, saying the board needs to come up with a viable means of balancing its budget. Relying on the fund balance is "delaying the inevitable," he said; the county will be in the same shape next year and its financial outlook will be no less grim unless it finds a way to sustain itself.

"It makes more sense to pay for these things through taxes," he said.

Rick Kinsella, of Oneida, also encouraged supervisors to exceed the cap and restore all cuts to non-profits.

"As supervisors, you represent the final authority locally to ensure public safety and quality of life for our community," he told the board.

Non-profits deliver services essential to the quality of life of residents; local officials must set aside the "artificial distinction" between county-run services and those provided by non-profits, he said.

The message the board is sending to others about its priorities is not well thought-out, he said. What does the decision to not support local libraries say about local government, he asked, also questioning why the transit system would be cut after so much was invested in it?

"You are treating yourselves more like the entitled executives of Wall Street with expensive bonuses and golden parachutes," he said. "In the tentative 2013 budget, your own retirement and health care costs nearly match what has been proposed to be taken from our community's most vulnerable."

Paul O'Mara, chairman of the Cornell Cooperative Extension board, encouraged the board to restore funding to the Agricultural Economic Development agency, which will receive $10,000 less next year. Similarly, Cornell Cooperative Extension will be cut $40,000.

"Agriculture is the backbone of this county," he said. "Agricultural economic development is critical in expansion."

The county needs to continue to invest in that, he said.

At one point in time the county decided that, in general, it needed the non-profits that it supports and found it worth-while to provide funding to them, he said. The only reason supervisors should chose to not support them now is if they find they don't provide value to residents, he said.

Linda Wimmer, a board member of Cornell Cooperative Extension, hailed CCE and AED as programs that have been the catalyst for the "rebirth" of the hop industry in Madison County and have been responsible for boosts in agri-tourism, farmers markets and events like Open Farm Day.

Diane Glasso, a Kirkville resident and 4H leader, said CCE's 4H program is vital in the development of youth, providing life skills and career exploration in the formative years that lead participants to have more successful lives. The money the county contributes to CCE pays off in the long-term, she said with the benefits it provides residents. That investment needs to remain steady, she said.

Bee Tolman, who owns farm land in Sullivan and Cazenovia, asked the board to keep in mind the value tax dollars have in programs like CCE and AED, which provides things like agricultural revolving loans, a hops specialist and land preservation.

She estimated $80 million a year is generated in revenue from farms in Madison County.

"If you want return on your investment, this is a good one," she said.

"Poised to do something great," CCE was in the process of creating a farm business management position to aid farmers with growing and diversifying their production using existing resources. With cuts to funding, she said that will no longer be an option.

Judy Gianforte, of Cazenovia, asked the board to continue to support programs like CCE and AED. For every dollar of product produced on a farm, $3-4 is spent in the community, she said. Farmers play a large role in supporting local businesses with their own operations. CCE and AED provide vital programs for farmers to continue to operate, including support with taxation laws, accounting and national and international politics as they relate to farming. The county's support in those programs, which "strengthens the economy of all of Madison County," is imperative, she said.

Katherine Cronn, of Oneida, also supported an override of the county tax cap, calling it an "arbitrary and artificial" number.

"One size doesn't fit all," she said.

She asked the board to maintain the "traditional values of Madison County," and restore funding.

"The county has always supported what it feels is important," she said. Not only is funding to non-profits a quality of life issue, it's a "quality of equality" issue as it services as a mechanism of access for every resident.

Jennifer Roberts, of Bridgeport, also encouraged the board to override the tax cap, saying "we have your back."

Ray Lewandowski, executive director of the ARC, said the $100,000 cut to his agency is "painful." While his board wanted to "bring out the troops" to support restoration of funding, Lewandowski urged them to be patient. He warned, however, that if the cuts weren't restored, he along with ARC employees and consumers won't let them forget about its impact. Serving the "most vulnerable people in the county," Lewandowski said the money the ARC receives from the county helps offset programs that help families transition into service and provides services to those who are disabled but are not eligible for Medicaid.

"We just wanted to be treated fairly," he told the board.

Sam Stradley, of Hamilton, urged the board to reinstate funding to libraries and the Mid-York Library System. Mid-York is "enormously valuable" to Hamilton's library, as well as others, with its consolidated and coordinated services and technological support. Showing the board a map of the county's unserved areas, Stradley emphasized that the money libraries receive from the county supplement the use of libraries by residents who do not live within each library's taxing district.

Deborah Kliman, a Hamilton village trustee, said she is "horrified" by the cuts to libraries and non-profits "who serve the most disadvantaged populations." The library in particular is not a "frill" in the Hamilton community, it's an essential service, she said.

Ted Bootis, of Canastota, said "cutting funding to libraries is like cutting the life blood of a town." His library is a place he "would never ever want to give up," he said.

Pointing to the diverse population libraries serve, Kelly Rose of Oneida asked for funding to be restored to libraries.

"Libraries today are not just books," she said. "They are information and community centers serving all residents."

Julie Dale, executive director of the Community Action Partnership, said the county's $45,000 funding, which is proposed to be cut complete, is a good investment in the community. The money the county provides allows CAP to leverage more than $1 million in funding for its Early Head Start and Healthy Families New York programs. Those programs are proven to work, Dale said, and research has shown that children's participation in them reduce a family's reliance on other programs. The benefits of the programs span a children's lifetime and make the community stronger as a whole, she said.

The Board of Supervisors will vote on the budget at its next meeting Dec. 7 at 10:30 a.m.